In a press release published on 14 August 2026, the Cabinet Office said people across England and Wales would receive an Emergency Alert on their phones that day, sent on a rolling basis from approximately 19:00. The message warned recipients not to light anything that could spark a fire, including barbecues, campfires and fireworks, and urged them to call 999 to report any fire. The government described it as the most extensive use of the UK Emergency Alert system in response to an active incident.

The announcement set out immediate support measures: emergency funding for fire and rescue services under the greatest operational pressure, military assistance in South Wales where around 100 personnel had been deployed, and a temporary nationwide ban on the sale of disposable barbecues, with retailers told to remove them from sale immediately. A further 100 Armed Forces members were due to deploy that evening. The government also called on insurers to process claims quickly and noted the Bellwin Scheme remained available for local authority recovery costs.

Ministers said they would convene a national wildfire summit later that year with fire chiefs, the National Fire Chiefs Council, the Fire Brigades Union and other partners. The release cited £97 million for fire service training and specialist equipment.